NAB's Licensed to Serve newsletter provides a sample of noteworthy stories that illustrate the many public service activities broadcasters organize on any given day across the country. From arranging record-breaking toy and food drives to providing free air time for political campaign coverage, broadcasters' continual commitment to their communities is showcased in Licensed to Serve.

Learn MoreClick here to learn more about broadcasters' community service initiatives
and nonprofit partnerships.

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If your station has a great public service campaign that should be
recognized, email Allison Kreutzjans, manager, Public Service Initiatives
or call (202) 429-5448 with details.
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TV and Radio Broadcasters Raise Millions for Local Kids in Need

WHAS-TV, WHAS-AM Raise $5.6 Million for Special Needs Kids Clear Channel's WHAS-AM and Gannett-owned ABC affiliate WHAS-TV Louisville hosted the 61st annual "WHAS Crusade for Children" radio- and telethon. The event helped fire departments collect donations across Kentucky and southern Indiana for special needs children. This year the fundraiser raised more than $5.6 million for area children. Since its inception in 1954, the Crusade has collected more than $160 million.

CBS Philly Collects $2 Million for Pediatric Cancer Research CBS-owned KYW-TV and The CW affiliate WPSG-TV Philadelphia hosted the eighth annual "Alex Scott Phone Bank," a 14-hour on-air benefit for the Alex's Lemonade Stand Foundation, which supports pediatric cancer research. The day-long telethon raised more than $2 million, a record for the fundraiser which began in 2007. Over the past eight years, the event has raised more than $9 million for the cause.

KKJO-FM Collects $20,000 for Camp for Kids with Cancer Eagle Communication's KKJO-FM St. Joseph, Mo., held the 10th annual Radiothon for Camp Quality on June 23. KKJO-FM's morning hosts Gregg and Aaryn broadcast live from a local coffee shop and raised more than $20,000 in 12 hours for Camp Quality, a week-long summer camp for kids with cancer. Over the past 10 years, KKJO-FM has raised over $168,000 for Camp Quality to brighten the lives of local kids.

WTOP-FM Raises $25,000 to Send 100 Local Kids to Camp Hubbard Radio's WTOP-FM Washington partnered with the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington for "Send a Kid to Camp," a one-day, on-air and online fundraising campaign to help local kids in need attend summer camp. The brief initiative raised more than $25,000, which will allow more than 100 kids to spend a week at YMCA summer camp this year. Click here to learn more about the effort.

Raycom's Cleveland Stations Raise $70,000 for Local Boys & Girls Clubs Raycom Media's CBS affiliate WOIO-TV and MyNetworkTV affiliate WUAB-TV Cleveland partnered with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Northeast Ohio for the annual Race for Kids and Wellness Festival at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo. The event featured a 5K and a one mile run/walk and demonstrations from local healthcare providers and fitness experts. More than 550 people attended the event, which raised more than $70,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Cleveland. Proceeds will support over 8,000 local kids through one-on-one tutoring, recreational activities, character building programs and more.

VAB Announces Year-Long Campaign Against Hunger The Virginia Association of Broadcasters (VAB) recently launched a year-long, statewide food drive and hunger awareness campaign called "Feeding Virginia." More than 150 local radio and television stations across Virginia are participating in the initiative, in partnership with the First Lady of Virginia, Dorothy McAuliffe. Broadcasters will air a variety of PSAs throughout the year, as part of the "Feeding Virginia" campaign, and stations will host several food drives to benefit the seven regional food banks across the state.

WUSA-TV Launches Campaign to Bring Home Missing Kids Gannett-owned WUSA-TV Washington recently launched the "Bring Them Home" project, a multiplatform initiative that aims to significantly raise awareness about missing local children. During Thursday newscasts, WUSA-TV airs photos and information about missing kids and provides the number to contact local police. Viewers are encouraged to share the information on social media or retweet WUSA-TV's related posts. The project was developed after an eight-year-old local girl, Relisha Rudd, went missing from a homeless shelter earlier this year.

WBA Hosts Special Event for WWII Veterans on 70th Anniversary of D-Day
The Wisconsin Broadcasters Association (WBA) hosted a special event in the Wisconsin State Capitol rotunda on June 6 to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the D-Day landings at Normandy and to recognize the sacrifices of Wisconsin's veterans from that day and others. WBA partnered with the six Wisconsin Honor Flight Hubs and the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs to mark the important day. The event featured presentations on behalf of the state to World War II veterans, including those who fought on D-Day. Honorees shared their personal accounts from World War II. WAB produced an hour-long program with all the event highlights, as well as an hour-long documentary, "They Fought for Freedom," which highlighted all six Wisconsin Honor Flight Hubs and Wisconsin's World War II veterans.

WRAL-TV Hosts Statewide Discussion on Domestic Violence Capitol Broadcasting's CBS affiliate WRAL-TV Raleigh recently hosted a two-hour panel discussion on domestic violence and sexual assault that streamed live on its website. The campaign, called "eNOugh," was the first multimedia, statewide initiative to raise awareness about violence against women across all levels of society. WRAL-TV said the initiative aimed to educate, connect and inspire people who are touched by the problem of domestic abuse.

New Jersey Woman Says CBS Radio PSA Saved Her Life A New Jersey woman, Sue Muller, recently credited a CBS Radio public service announcement (PSA) with saving her life after she suffered a brain aneurysm. Sue's husband, Jeff, had heard a PSA about the symptoms of a brain aneurysm on his commute to work. Not long after, his wife had a severe headache and neck stiffness. Jeff remembered the PSA and encouraged Sue to go to the hospital. A CT scan soon revealed that she indeed had a ruptured aneurysm.

WMGK-FM Morning Host Raises $144,000 for Local Veterans Greater Media's WMGK-FM Bala Cynwyd, Penn., hosted the eighth annual John DeBella Veterans Radiothon to benefit local veterans through the Veterans Multi-Service Center (VMC). The day-long event featured a series of auctions and appearances from athletes, celebrities and musicians. In total, the benefit raised more than $144,000. Over the past eight years, the radiothon has raised more than $644,000 for the VMC.

WSFA-TV Collects 73,000 Pounds of Food for Alabamians Raycom Media's NBC affiliate WSFA-TV Montgomery, Ala., hosted the Summer Fund and Food Drive to benefit the Montgomery Area Food Bank. The station helped collect non-perishable food items and monetary donations to help feed those in need across Alabama. WSFA-TV promoted the drive, broadcast live from the event and WSFA-TV anchors helped collect donations. In total, WSFA-TV helped collect 2,599 pounds of food and $11,000, which will purchase a total of 73,000 pounds of food.

Inland Raises Hundreds of Pounds of Food for Idaho Nonprofits Ida-Vend/Inland Northwest Broadcasting's radio cluster in Lewiston, Idaho, recently hosted the "Four Hour Food Drive" to collect food and money for four local, nonprofit organizations. Each nonprofit was given an hour of radio airtime to solicit donations, and the charity with the most items collected would receive $4,000 in free radio advertising. In total, the drive raised more than 430 pounds of canned food and hundreds of additional household items.

Univision's KUVS-TV Hosts 14th Annual Blood Drive, 2,400 Donors Attend Univision's KUVS-TV Sacramento held its annual blood drive, Día de Donar Sangre, in three locations across California on June 6 to benefit BloodSource and the Delta Blood Bank. KUVS-TV provided live coverage throughout the day to drive awareness in the community about the need for blood transfusions and the benefits for transfusion recipients. In total, 2,400 individuals visited one of the three drives to donate blood in Sacramento, Stockton and Modesto.

Broadcasters Keep Electorate Informed With Live Debates and Forums

WMDT-TV Hosts Forum for Maryland Candidates Marquee Broadcasting's ABC affiliate WMDT-TV Salisbury, Md., hosted a primary forum in late May for candidates running in the Maryland gubernatorial race. The one-hour event broadcast live in primetime and simultaneously streamed on the station's mobile website. WMDT-TV extended an offer to all media outlets to participate. Following the debate, a link was provided for interested viewers to replay the event at their convenience. The station followed the event by running a "Get Out and Vote" PSA, which aired on WMDT-TV and its affiliated stations, leading up to the primary election on June 24.

WBAL-TV Hosts Two Debates for MD Gubernatorial Candidates Hearst Television's WBAL-TV Baltimore partnered with Maryland Public Television to air the only televised gubernatorial debates in the market with all of the Republican and Democratic candidates. In addition to airing live on WBAL-TV, the Democratic debate streamed live online and broadcast twice on WBAL-TV's multicast station. The Republican debate was also broadcast on the digital station. The League of Women Voters participated in the live studio audience for each debate. Questions to the candidates were provided by the debate moderators and individuals in the audience.

KITV-TV Hosts Debate for Democratic Candidates Running for Hawaii's U.S. Senate Seat Hearst Television's ABC affiliate KITV-TV Honolulu hosted a debate ahead of the Democratic primary for U.S. Senate between candidates Brian Schatz, the incumbent, and U.S. Representative Colleen Hanabusa. The candidates agreed on issues such as renewable energy and native Hawaiian self-determination; however, they differed on their level of support for President Barack Obama, the Simpson-Bowles budget plan, and national security issues. Click here to watch the debate.